Sunday Farewells!

Matt, Martin (Matt's Brother), Rick (Matt's Dad) and Nicci (Matt's Sister).


Michelle, Matt, Martin, Rick, Nicci and Chris (Nicci's Husband).

Aunt Nicci & Uncle Chris' House

We went to the Yum-Yum Shoppe in Sandwich (the name says it all) and of course the kids loved it! Can't you see there ice cream smiles? Brenna wasn't too sure about the ice cream though--it is a bit too cold for her at first. But once she realizes how good it is she can't get enough!





We spent the rest of the weekend just hanging out and relaxing. That was such a nice change from all the running around we had done earlier in the week.

American Girl Place Chicago

Chloe received her American Girl doll over a year ago at Christmas. She loves playing with it and dressing her up. Every time an American Girl catalog arrives in the mail she pours over it for hours. She has quite a collection of wrinkled and well-read catalogs on her bookshelf as well. So with her love of all things American Girl growing we knew we had to go to American Girl Place in Chicago on our trip. Chloe has been looking forward to that for weeks!

So on Saturday, Nicci, Chloe, Brenna and I (Chris, Matt and Aidan, decided to bow out and hang out at home for the day) loaded up in the rental car and had a girls day out. We drove to a nearby town and took the commuter train into Chicago. That was a fun experience for all of us. Although Chloe was a bit concerned that the train was going to take us home. =) A little over an hour later we were in Union Station.


Much to Chloe's absolute bliss! We caught a cab to take us to American Girl Place. The taxi ride was a highlight for her since she got to ride in it like an adult with no booster seat. I have never been in a taxi before either so this was a new experience for me as well.



Chloe was dancing with excitement when she saw the sign. She could barely stand still long enough for me to take a picture. Than she was off! She of course wanted to buy everything. It was definitely a girl's dream store (ask me about the bathroom some time!) and she couldn't get enough "oohing" and "aahing" in.




There was so much to see in the two story store-Dolls, clothing, accessories, activities, a doll hair salon and more! I am sure we could of easily spent the day there and than some (as well as spending a small fortune). Chloe got a t-shirt that says "American Girl Place Chicago" on it (from Matt and I) and a matching t-shirt for her doll, some cute doll capris, a brush and pick for her dolls hair (from her Aunt Nicci and Uncle Chris). She was so excited!!

Here is Chloe as we waited for lunch. She was not happy to leave American Girl.


Here are some shots of Chicago as we headed to the Disney Store to pick up a little something for Aidan.








Here is the Chicago River outside of Union Station...





Here are some pictures of the Great Hall in Union Station. I didn't get to take any when we arrived at the station as a family because Matt took the camera with him. Once again the train stations put the airports to shame!








Here is Brenna and Chloe patiently waiting while Mommy plays tourist and snaps away at the camera.



Here is Aidan in his sweatshirt I got for him in Chicago. He also got a Mickey Mouse plush toy but I don't know where that was when we took the picture.

WE SURVIVED!!!!

Just wanted to let all interested parties know that we are still alive. We spent the remainder of our adventure at my sister Nicci's house, and will be leaving early tomorrow morning to return to someplace with better weather...HOME!

Will post more pictures of our trip when we get home. Back to packing!

Rock River

This is the nearby Rock River, which like many rivers in the upper midwest is near floodstage or beyond. The museums we visited yesterday over looked it. Further upstream the river has flooded many farms and pastures already. It is expected to crest this weekend.

Discovery Museum

I love children's museums. They are awesome. All those fabulous exhibits, fun toys, games, learning and best of all--the kids leave absolutely exhausted!! LOL! Today we went to the Discovery Museum and let the kids loose. This is a great children's museum nearby. It was huge and there was so much for the kids to do!

Chloe and I were trying to race our bumper cars...



We had a great time on the life-size piano--that's right, just like in the movie Big. Even Mom gave it a try and did all right at chopsticks. =)





Of course my other "big" kid had fun playing around too!



The Webster family as astronauts?





At one time in my life I seriously considered becoming a journalist...




The museum had a huge outdoor park full of science experiments and chances to learn. Of course the kids were in heaven as soon as we headed outside...








Do you know those boards full of plastic pegs? You push your hand through the board and look at its image on the other side? Well, this museum had a huge board of pegs to play with. We played with it for quite a while. Brenna thought it was hilarious.



If we thought the first floor was full of awesome discoveries, the second floor had even more fun stuff to play with!